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Report rips bilingual program Mary Ellen O'Shea Poor evaluation and tracking of children in the bilingual education program and inconsistent classroom services have combined to hold back student performance, according to an outside audit of the city's $12.4 million bilingual program. The audit, ordered by Superintendent Joseph P. Burke shortly after he began the job in June, calls for a computerized system to follow children who are learning English. The 33-page report also calls for a clear district-wide plan for bilingual education that school administrators would be required to follow. If adopted, job evaluations of principals would include a look at their success with bilingual education. The audit was done by Lillian Gomez, a bilingual educator in the Alamosa, Colo., school system who also works for the Colorado Department of Education; Elena Izquierdo, a professor of bilingual education at the University of Texas at El Paso; and Joanne H. Urrutia, executive director of bilingual education and world languages in the Miami-Dade County School District. It came after years of criticism by parents and officials about the low rates of achievement and graduation and high rates of suspension and dropouts among Hispanic students here. Most of the students in the bilingual program speak Spanish. Officials said they are pleased to have a blueprint for success, though many had hoped for changes sooner. "We knew we had a big problem, and we knew we weren't doing a good job of tracking our bilingual students," said School Committee member Beth A. Conway. As chairman of the curriculum and programs subcommittee, Conway has asked several times in recent years for data on children in bilingual programs. But the information was never handed over. City Councilor Jose F. Tosado, who as a member of the School Committee made the move for an audit, said he will watch carefully for changes in the program that indicate success may follow. "All that heat I got from bilingual teachers and administrators, I feel vindicated that this report states clearly something is wrong. I'm planning to stay on top of this," Tosado said. The Committee on Hispanic Achievement will meet later this month to review the report. This year, 3,000 of the 26,600 enrolled students are in bilingual education, just 10 percent of all Hispanic students in the district. There is no data to show how students in bilingual programs fare compared to Spanish-speakers not in a program. The report identifies a need to clearly define the three instructional programs. They are two-way bilingual classes, inclusion classes and transitional bilingual classes. In two-way bilingual classes, half the students are Spanish-speaking and half are English-speaking. Each learns the other's language. Under inclusion, classes are held in English and students receive help from Spanish-speaking teachers. In transitional bilingual classes, Spanish-speaking students are taught in their native language initially and classes are gradually switched to English. Even within specific buildings, teachers are varying in their classroom methods, according to the audit. Among the findings and recommendations listed: Hispanic students in special education programs are suspended and drop out at far higher rates than blacks, whites and Asians. Few Hispanics can be found in high-level courses or programs, and their academic grades are the lowest of any ethnic or racial group. Officials should track students for two years after they leave bilingual programs. There is no formal follow-up now. Teachers need professional development for quality delivery of curricula. Officials should change the student assignment process so that every school is closer to the district student average of 46 percent Hispanic, 29 percent black, 23 percent white and 2 percent Asian. The highest performing schools tend to have high white student counts. Tracking of students by ability should be eliminated. The report notes that the job ahead is difficult. "Much remains to be done. The implementation of the study recommendations will require a concerted effort on the part of the entire Springfield public school community," the report states. |